Review by Booklist Review
It's bedtime for little Floyd the octopus, but he turns the tables on his parents by taking charge of putting them to bed. Before actually going to sleep, Floyd takes his folks through the many tasks that must be performed first: bathing, brushing, putting on pajamas, etc. His indulgent parents play along as the three get ready to settle down for the night. Illustrations using watercolor, ink, and crayon with some "digital rendering" are large, bright, and engaging. Mom is green with splotches; Dad, sporting red spectacles, is orange with red spots; and Floyd is blue, decorated with red polka dots. Rhyming text, which moves around the pages, and humorous pictures reveal the family's bedtime escapades. Ideas like an octopus taking a bubble bath in a tub in the middle of an ocean add much levity. Children will enjoy one especially amusing section featuring Floyd's attempts to put his eight arms into the correct holes in his nightwear: "Another try . . . now REALLY tangled, twisted, mangled . . . strangely angled." This fun read-aloud will keep kids giggling.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Playful bedtime reading, with octopuses. Protagonist Floyd is a rambunctious, anthropomorphic octopus child who's quite a handful. Even with their combined 16 arms, his Mommy-O and OctoPop can't contain him. Of course, "giggly, squiggly, oh-so-wiggly" Floyd has eight arms of his own, and they never stop moving. The characters' anthropomorphism extends to the degree that they appear to live in a space that isn't underwater (though perhaps it's a submerged submarine of sorts?), and part of Floyd's bedtime routine includes taking a bath. He fills a massive, three-tiered tub, and all three of them end up soaking wet. Tooth-brushing is a frothy mess, but getting Floyd into his pajamas proves the most challenging with so very many arms and armholes to negotiate. "Get ready for the nightly rumblethe OCTO PAJAMA TANGLE TUMBLE!" reads the emphatic type, and it takes two double-page spreads to get everyone sorted out. Throughout, Schwarz's bright, cartoon art depicts the octopus family as rounded, downright cuddly beings in bright hues that capture the lively spirit of the text. Silly, wiggly, giggly fun. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
